This invention relates to a gauging attachment for a conventional portable type chain saw and more particularly to attachments of this type which are intended to faciliate the cutting of logs, branches, etc., into uniform lengths. With this attachment successive cuts of identical lengths can be made rapidly in either direction, that is cutting with the indicator at the end of the log, or sighting to the indicator and moving the saw to the indicated work position. Any desired length can be determined by moving the indicator to an appropriate position along the rod and securing the indicator in position.
It is generally known to attach a measuring device to a chainsaw in order to facilitate cutting successively equal lengths of wood. Various guaging attachments for chain saws have been proposed to enable the user to guage and cut logs into desired uniform lengths. For example U.S. Pat. No. 4,185,382 having a chain saw gauging attachment having a rod intended to be bent into position to indicate a length and the protruding portion of an existing stud.
To obtain the desired length of cut it is discussed in Hinrichs U.S. Pat. No. 4,233,739 and Romancky U.S. Pat. No. 3,531,870 which utilize telescoping lengths of cylindrical tubes in which frictional engagement which can be moved to any desired length for successfully measuring off equal cuts of a log to be cut by the chain saw. Other efforts to provide measuring attachments for chain saws include the Gelinas U.S. Pat. No. 2,807,292 which discloses a folding ruler type gauging device attached to the chain saw. The Lucia U.S. Pat. No. 3,364,580 and Johansson U.S. Pat. No. 3,276,490 Patents show retractable ruler tape type measuring device having hooks at their end and adapted to be attached to the frame of the chain saw and the flexible tape intended to be pulled out and hooked onto the end of a log or limb enabling the user to position the saw for the next cut. These devices have the drawback that the tape must be reset or hooked each time that a new cut is to be made thus slowing the rate of working.
A drawback to all of these prior proposals for gauging attachments for chain saws is that special hardware is required to adapt the chain saw to accept the gauging attachment or numerous additions of the chain saw attachment must be made to accommodate all makes and models of chain saws. For example, the Rawlinson Patent which shows a fitting adapted to screw onto the protruding portion of an existing stud of the chain saw frame must be provided with various internal threads to accommodate the variety of threads used in chain saws. Thus, there is a need in the art for providing a chain saw gauging attachment which may be readily attached to any existing chain saw irregardless of the peculiarities of the particular chain saw to which it is desired to add the attachment. It, therefore, is an object of this invention to provide an improved chain saw gauging attachment having an attaching system for attaching the attachment to any existing portable chain saw.